Meet Milford H. Jenkins, President Of The Angus Foundation
10/16/2009 02:54PM
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Amidst incessant concerns of high input costs, economic uncertainty and looming government regulations, Milford Jenkins offers cattle producers today a refreshing dose of excitement and hope for the Angus breed. The Angus Foundation president joined the organization in 2004, and has spent the last five years working toward advancing the youth, education and research initiatives necessary to secure a solid future for the breed. Here, Jenkins recalls his history as well as that of the American Angus Association®’s non-profit organization, and offers insight for its future.
Q: Tell us about yourself before you came to the American Angus Association.
A: I’m originally from northwest Oklahoma. I grew up north of the small community of Shattuck on a registered Angus cow-calf and wheat operation. My family has been in the registered Angus business almost 60 years, thanks to my parents, Donald Ray and Judy Jenkins, and my older brother, Dennie.
I had the typical 4-H and FFA background of many youth growing up in rural America. I was very active showing livestock — Angus steers, Angus heifers and crossbred steers and heifers, as well as sheep. From those experiences, I was fortunate to serve as Oklahoma FFA State President my sophomore year of college. I obtained my BS in ag education at Oklahoma State University in 1987.
I taught vocational agriculture one year in Prague, Okla., and then became the executive director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council. After serving the council as their government liaison, membership recruitment and, in essence, their full-time staff person, I had an incredible opportunity that was presented to me by the OSU Foundation. They invited me to come back to my alma mater to become a professional development officer. I raised funds initially for the college of veterinary medicine and division of agricultural sciences and natural resources in a dual capacity until 1994 when we embarked on a $125-million fundraising campaign campus-wide. At that time we hired additional fundraisers, enabling me to concentrate solely on our agriculture alumni donors. The university hit its $125-million goal within 24 months and increased that goal to $206 million. Eventually the university raised more than $264 million.
Q: How did you come to the Angus Foundation?
A: In late 2003, I went home one evening after work and was reading the Angus Journalcover to cover. I was very intrigued by then Executive Vice President John Crouch’s column indicating the Association was searching for an individual to come in and head up the Angus Foundation. It seemed to be a natural fit — the Angus background, the 4-H and FFA experience combined with my professional fundraising career.
In the spring of 2004 I interviewed with the Association. I started May 1 and have been here almost five and a half years. It’s been an exciting journey — an incredible experience professionally as well as personally, having the opportunity to help build the Angus Foundation and further its growth, building on those activities that were in place before my arrival.
It’s a pleasure to have a chance to give something back to the Angus breed. My family’s Angus herd and farm operation put my brother and I through college. God has provided me with many blessings, including my lovely wife of 21 years, Peggy, and my incredible 17-year-old daughter, Dallas.
Q: What single word would you use to describe the Angus Foundation?
A: Hope! It’s hope for tomorrow. It’s hope for tomorrow’s America. Hope for tommorow’s Angus breed. It’s the hope that we have in Angus youth. Hope that we have in providing education to our members to help them in their Angus operations to be more profitable and continue to grow and achieve their dreams and objectives. It’s hope for the research we’re conducting to benefit and add value to the Angus breed.
It’s simply hope in a better tomorrow because of the investment of the time and energy and the work that the Angus Foundation and the American Angus Association — that Team Angus is doing that causes me to come to work each day and really get excited.
Q: What do you consider key developments in the past, and what will be key points for the Angus Foundation in the future?
A: Each and every gift, regardless of size, from our generous Angus breeders, members, allied industry interests and friends who believe in the Angus breed, who share in that same sense of hope. Every one of those gifts has been key along the journey of the Angus Foundation, dating back to its inception in 1980. It’s because of that generous support that has brought us to where we’re at today. It’s because of that hope in the years to come that Angus breeders will continue to invest in the Angus breed.
It’s a team effort. The Angus family is composed of a number of components in advancing the Angus cause. This breed has been very fortunate to have enjoyed the level of success that we have, but that level of success has also been the result of hard work; and a lot of energy, blood, sweat and tears; and finances that have been invested.
Q: What does the Angus Foundation do to help members?
A: The vast portfolio of activities is only made possible by the generous gifts of our Angus breeders. We work hand in hand in very close coordination with the Association and the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) in identifying new programs and continuing to build upon existing ones. With respect to education at the adult level, there’s the Beef Leaders Institute (BLI), Cattlemen’s Boot Camp (CBC), and those types of member education opportunities for which we work closely with Association staff to find resources to help support and promote those activities.
Really, it comes down to individual members, breeders and youth. It’s them taking the steps necessary to engage in those activities and participate at whatever level they wish.
Historically, the Angus Foundation has supported Angus youth activities. Because of the generous, exponential growth in gift revenue through the campaign, our donors have enabled us to expand over the last five years and focus further resources toward education and research in addition to youth.
Q: Can you tell us about the Angus Foundation team?
A: I’ve been very fortunate since coming to the American Angus Association to be surrounded by such good people. Kelli Armbruster, our marketing and public relations assistant, has been on board two years and has done an outstanding job developing the Angus Foundation annual report, newsletter, brochures, news releases and the web site.
Processing gifts, handling paperwork and conducting other office duties is Kris Sticken, our administrative assistant who has been with Association for more than 25 years. She’s no stranger to Angus members across the country, having worked previously in communications, data entry and for the Angus Journal.
Indeed, officially we are a small fundraising staff relative to the extremely ambitious $11 million goal for the Vision of Value: Campaign for Angus by Dec. 31, 2011. With the invaluable help, however, from our directors, staff, colleagues, campaign Leadership Cabinet and enthusiasm by our breeders for the cause and the mission of the Angus Foundation, I’m confident we’ll achieve our goal. Their generous support has empowered us to be where we’re at today with this campaign, now in excess of $5.5 million, and to be able to invest in education, youth and research.
Q: Do you have any particularly memorable moments?
A: I’ve had many opportunities to interact with donors and members attending various Angus-related events. For me, the most memorable events are the smiles of Angus youth receiving scholarships at NJAS, the excitement and energy of breeders that come to BLI and CBC. There are countless memorable moments — the fruits of the labors of our generous donors and the thought of the faces and smiles of our Angus youth that I take away from my experiences as president of the Angus Foundation.
Kelli asked me one time, “Does it bother you that a lot of the work you’re doing with respect to donors, you may never see the harvest?” I told her, “I don’t have to see the harvest because of the generous and kind-hearted Angus breeders who are out there, who believe in the future of the Angus breed and share the same sense of hope. I don’t have to see the fruits of our labors because I know that tomorrow’s going to be a better day than today as a result of their help.”